Insights

Thoughts on change management, innovation strategy, marketing strategy, and the future of work from 18 Coffees.

Business Trends, Future of Work Robin Kasner Business Trends, Future of Work Robin Kasner

June 2026 Business Trends: A Shifting Workforce, Gen Z's AI Skepticism, and Brands at America's 250

Three data-backed business trends shaping June 2026: women now hold more U.S. payroll jobs than men as male participation declines, Gen Z may be more fluent but skeptical about AI at work, and brands navigate a fractured America 250 where patriotism has become politically coded. What each shift means for leaders.

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May 2026 Business Trends: The Whispering Office, Emotion AI, AI in Politics, and a Workforce Shift

Four data-backed business trends shaping May 2026: AI dictation apps reshaping how offices work, emotion AI watching employees without consent, AI moving from a business story to a political and regulatory one, and a quiet but significant shift in how college-educated fathers are dividing their time between home and paid work.

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Change Management, Innovation, community Caleb Gardner Change Management, Innovation, community Caleb Gardner

Using GenAI to Enhance Communications: A Recap of our Social Innovation Summit Workshop

The arrival of GenAI to the tech ecosystem offers endless potential for creative problem solving and innovation in the workplace. However, as explored in the Social Innovation Summit 2024 Breakout Workshop “Using GenAI to Enhance Communications,” hosted by 18 Coffees, its enigmatic nature invites ambiguity, and with it, feelings of overwhelm for potential users.  “It’s hard to apply generative AI consistently because there is no shared definition of what AI is; there are too many applications and implications,” says 18 Coffee’s Managing Partner Caleb Gardner. 

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